Peter Lammiman and Dr Rodrigo Acuña discuss the latest developments in South recent political developments in #Chile, #Ecuador and #Brazil's efforts within #BRICS and its aim at building a global coalition in order to find a peaceful solution to the war in #Ukraine.

If you'd like to add to the discussion, you can ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠leave an audio comment about our show⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, which may be added to one of our podcasts.

This episode was first broadcast on Radio Blue Mountains 89.1FM on 9th June 2023.

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Apply to be a guest on our show⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.  Join a union - 1300 486 466 or ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠join online⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.  Join ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠BMUC⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Rights, Rorts and Rants⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ is broadcast from 4pm to 6pm on 89.1FM or can be live streamed from ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠rbm.org.au⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

Blue Mountains Unions & Community pays its respect to, and acknowledges, the Darug and Gundungurra First Peoples of the Blue Mountains area and acknowledges this is Aboriginal Land that was never ceded.

Disclaimer: We seek a range of perspectives but that means that views expressed in these podcasts are not necessarily endorsed by the ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Blue Mountains Unions Council Inc⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

Deb Smith talks to Karyn Brown about the battle to save public housing in Waterloo.

If you'd like to add to the discussion, you can ⁠⁠⁠⁠leave an audio comment about our show⁠⁠⁠⁠, which may be added to one of our podcasts.

This episode was first broadcast on Radio Blue Mountains 89.1FM on 19th May 2023.

⁠⁠⁠⁠Apply to be a guest on our show⁠⁠⁠⁠.  Join a union - 1300 486 466 or ⁠⁠⁠⁠join online⁠⁠⁠⁠.  Join ⁠⁠⁠⁠BMUC⁠⁠⁠⁠.

⁠⁠⁠⁠Rights, Rorts and Rants⁠⁠⁠⁠ is broadcast from 4pm to 6pm on 89.1FM or can be live streamed from ⁠⁠⁠⁠rbm.org.au⁠⁠⁠⁠.

Blue Mountains Unions & Community pays its respect to, and acknowledges, the Darug and Gundungurra First Peoples of the Blue Mountains area and acknowledges this is Aboriginal Land that was never ceded.

Disclaimer: We seek a range of perspectives but that means that views expressed in these podcasts are not necessarily endorsed by the ⁠⁠⁠⁠Blue Mountains Unions Council Inc⁠⁠⁠⁠.

Thirty odd years ago an application to build a crocodile park in Wentworth Falls was approved and this zombie application has risen from the dead in a new and possibly scarier incarnation.

Blue Mountains City Ward 2 Councillor Romola Hollywood who discusses Council's response with Merran and Ann-Maree McEwan.

You can find more information and links to the proposal via this link.

You can also hear the concerns of Rod Provis and Murray Matin of the Bodington Hill Wildlife Resort Action Group in a separate podcast via this link.

If you'd like to add to the discussion, you can ⁠⁠⁠leave an audio comment about our show⁠⁠⁠, which may be added to one of our podcasts.

This episode was first broadcast on Radio Blue Mountains 89.1FM on 19th May 2023.

⁠⁠⁠Apply to be a guest on our show⁠⁠⁠.  Join a union - 1300 486 466 or ⁠⁠⁠join online⁠⁠⁠.  Join ⁠⁠⁠BMUC⁠⁠⁠.

⁠⁠⁠Rights, Rorts and Rants⁠⁠⁠ is broadcast from 4pm to 6pm on 89.1FM or can be live streamed from ⁠⁠⁠rbm.org.au⁠⁠⁠.

Blue Mountains Unions & Community pays its respect to, and acknowledges, the Darug and Gundungurra First Peoples of the Blue Mountains area and acknowledges this is Aboriginal Land that was never ceded.

Disclaimer: We seek a range of perspectives but that means that views expressed in these podcasts are not necessarily endorsed by the ⁠⁠⁠Blue Mountains Unions Council Inc⁠⁠⁠.

Thirty odd years ago an application to build a crocodile park in Wentworth Falls was approved and this zombie application has risen from the dead in a new and possibly scarier incarnation.

Blue Mountains residents Rod Provis and Murray Matin, representing the Bodington Hill Wildlife Resort Action Group discuss their concerns about this proposal with Merran MacLaren.

We then hear from Blue Mountains City Ward 2 Councillor Romola Hollywood who discusses Council's response with Merran and Ann-Maree McEwan.

You can find more information and links to the proposal via this link.

You can also hear Councillor Hollywood's response as a stand alone podcast via this link.

If you'd like to add to the discussion, you can ⁠⁠⁠leave an audio comment about our show⁠⁠⁠, which may be added to one of our podcasts.

This episode was first broadcast on Radio Blue Mountains 89.1FM on 19th May 2023.

⁠⁠⁠Apply to be a guest on our show⁠⁠⁠.  Join a union - 1300 486 466 or ⁠⁠⁠join online⁠⁠⁠.  Join ⁠⁠⁠BMUC⁠⁠⁠.

⁠⁠⁠Rights, Rorts and Rants⁠⁠⁠ is broadcast from 4pm to 6pm on 89.1FM or can be live streamed from ⁠⁠⁠rbm.org.au⁠⁠⁠.

Blue Mountains Unions & Community pays its respect to, and acknowledges, the Darug and Gundungurra First Peoples of the Blue Mountains area and acknowledges this is Aboriginal Land that was never ceded.

Disclaimer: We seek a range of perspectives but that means that views expressed in these podcasts are not necessarily endorsed by the ⁠⁠⁠Blue Mountains Unions Council Inc⁠⁠⁠.

Mike Holland and Merran MacLaren discuss the international and Australian history of May Day in the labour movement.

If you'd like to add to the discussion, you can ⁠⁠leave an audio comment about our show⁠⁠, which may be added to one of our podcasts.

This episode was first broadcast on Radio Blue Mountains 89.1FM and published as a podcast on 28th April 2023.

⁠⁠Apply to be a guest on our show⁠⁠.  Join a union - 1300 486 466 or ⁠⁠join online⁠⁠.  Join ⁠⁠BMUC⁠⁠.

⁠⁠Rights, Rorts and Rants⁠⁠ is broadcast from 4pm to 6pm on 89.1FM or can be live streamed from ⁠⁠rbm.org.au⁠⁠.

Blue Mountains Unions & Community pays its respect to, and acknowledges, the Darug and Gundungurra First Peoples of the Blue Mountains area and acknowledges this is Aboriginal Land that was never ceded.

Disclaimer: We seek a range of perspectives but that means that views expressed in these podcasts are not necessarily endorsed by the ⁠⁠Blue Mountains Unions Council Inc⁠⁠.

Merran MacLaren and Peter Lammiman ask Nick Tribbia, Delegate at the Blue Mountains Health Branch of the NSW Nurses' and Midwives' Association, about their Patient:Staff Ratio campaign, the value of essential workers, union activism and the things unions need to do to stay effective.

Figures referenced by Nick can be found on Page 19 of the report "The Cumulative Costs of Wages Caps for Essential Service Workers in NSW from the Australia Institute Centre for Future Work".

"Figure 6 illustrates the growing costs for nurses and midwives of long-term wage caps in NSW. Compared to the previous trend in nominal compensation, wages under the pay cap have lagged by a growing margin. After a decade of pay caps, pay for experienced RN/RMs under this policy was $335 per week (or over $17,000 per year) lower in 2021 than if the previous pace of wage increases had been retained. Once again, making matters worse is the fact that those lost earnings accumulate over time into very large sums of foregone income. Figure 7 shows the accumulating path of foregone earnings for a full-time RN/RM under the NSW wage cap policy. For a nurse or midwife working full-time throughout the period covered by the wage caps, cumulative earnings were $80,000 lower over that decade than they would have been under the previous wage trajectory. Continuing pay caps will extend and expand that cumulative loss, forecast to reach $120,000 by 2023-24."

If you'd like to add to the discussion, you can ⁠leave an audio comment about our show⁠, which may be added to one of our podcasts.

This episode was first broadcast on Radio Blue Mountains 89.1FM and published as a podcast on 31st March 2023.

⁠Apply to be a guest on our show⁠.  Join a union - 1300 486 466 or ⁠join online⁠.  Join ⁠BMUC⁠.

⁠Rights, Rorts and Rants⁠ is broadcast from 4pm to 6pm on 89.1FM or can be live streamed from ⁠rbm.org.au⁠.

Blue Mountains Unions & Community pays its respect to, and acknowledges, the Darug and Gundungurra First Peoples of the Blue Mountains area and acknowledges this is Aboriginal Land that was never ceded.

Disclaimer: We seek a range of perspectives but that means that views expressed in these podcasts are not necessarily endorsed by the ⁠Blue Mountains Unions Council Inc⁠.

Louise Redmond of Mountain Mentors talks to Deb Smith about some of the challenges faced by refugees when they arrive in Australia and how refugee advocates provide practical support to refugees...with some commentary on the inadequacy of ALP refugee policies.

If you'd like to contribute to or take part in the Community Refugee Integration and Settlement Pilot (CRISP), contact Louise via [email protected]. Email our local MP Susan Templeman to advocate for better treatment of refugees and asylum seekers.

The songs referred to in this episode are:

If you'd like to add to the discussion, you can ⁠leave an audio comment about our show⁠, which may be added to one of our podcasts.

This episode was first broadcast on Radio Blue Mountains 89.1FM 14th April 2023 and published as a podcast on 17th April 2023..

⁠Apply to be a guest on our show⁠.  Join a union - 1300 486 466 or ⁠join online⁠.  Join ⁠BMUC⁠.

⁠Rights, Rorts and Rants⁠ is broadcast from 4pm to 6pm on 89.1FM or can be live streamed from ⁠rbm.org.au⁠.

Blue Mountains Unions & Community pays its respect to, and acknowledges, the Darug and Gundungurra First Peoples of the Blue Mountains area and acknowledges this is Aboriginal Land that was never ceded.

Disclaimer: We seek a range of perspectives but that means that views expressed in these podcasts are not necessarily endorsed by the ⁠Blue Mountains Unions Council Inc⁠.

Authorised by D Smith, Secretary, Blue Mountains Unions Council/Blue Mountains Unions & Community, 52-52A Great Western Hwy, Mount Victoria, NSW, 2786.

Owen Holmwood has qualifications in electrical engineering, physics and science and has worked and taught at TAFE in these fields in Australia, Canada and Antarctica. He is a also passionate bush walker in the greater Blue Mountains.

In Part 3 of the interview (broadcast on Rights Rorts & Rants on 24 March 2023) Owen chats with presenter Ann-Maree McEwan to explain what Radio Blue Mountain's call signal 89.1 FM means, how radio can be used on mobile devices using Global Positioning Systems as a navigation aid, and he reflects on whether radio is dead or has a place in modern life.

In Part 2 of How Radio Works Owen Holmwood chats to presenter Ann-Maree McEwan about radio transmission, the politics and technology

of Radio Australia and ham radio, morse code and Summits on the Air. This interview was broadcast on Rights Rorts & Rants on 24 March 2023 on Radio Blue Mountains 89.1 FM.

Owen Holmwood has qualifications in electrical engineering (avionics), physics and science and has worked in related roles in Australia, Canada and Antarctica. Owen taught and led the Electrical Engineering department at Ultimo TAFE. He is a also passionate bush walker including in the greater Blue Mountains wilderness area. In these interviews (broadcast on Rights Rorts & Rants on March 24 2023) Owen chats with presenter Ann-Maree McEwan about how radio works and practical applications for radio physics.

In this episode Owen's chats about his radio research and work in Antarctica at Casey Station.